Welsh UFO sightings from 1971. For sightings from other years please click HERE.
PRESS
January 1st, 06:30
Pontypool / Newport
BUFORA included a report from the South Wales Argus in V3/N4 :
A cigar-shaped flying object was reportedly seen by a Newport woman this week travelling in the sky over Hafodyrynys and Griffithstown. The woman, Mrs Pamela Morrison, said she was driving a mini-bus to Glengariff, when she first saw the object in the sky above the Pontypool-Crumlin road.
The object turned at an easy angle, and took on a cigar-shape, it travelled towards Newport, and Mrs. Morrison pursued it in the mini-bus as far as Griffithstown, where she lost sight of it.
One of the passengers in the bus was also reported to have seen it. No reports of UFOs have been received by the police.
Two Newport men also saw a strange round light in the sky as they drove on the M4 to London on Thursday. They were Mr. K. Mitchell and Mr. G. Dawson. Mr. Mitchell said it was 6.30 a.m. when he and Mr. Dawson were travelling on the M4 when they saw the light in the sky.
Two Newport men also saw a strange round light in the sky as they drove on the M4 to London on Thursday. They were Mr. K. Mitchell and Mr. G. Dawson. Mr. Mitchell said it was 6.30 a.m. when he and Mr. Dawson were travelling on the M4 when they saw the light in the sky.
"It was round and white and appeared just above the clouds. It was ahead of us and grew larger as we approached, but then it jumped ahead of us again. We were going to report it when we had crossed the Severn Bridge but at that time it disappeared. When we continued our journey it appeared again," said Mr. Mitchell.
Mr. Mitchell said because they thought it might have been a reflection from the windows they wound these down, but the light was still there. Mr. Mitchell (ex. R.A.F.) said it was not an aircraft.
SUFON
July, 03:15
Pontypridd
'During 1971 I was a student at Cardiff College of Art, while living at home, and due to my keeping weird hours, occasionally I had trouble sleeping. This one particular night I awoke around 3.15 am and decided to open my window and look at the stars. Within seconds I observed what I thought to be a satellite travelling in a north-easterly direction. However, the "satellite", without stopping, made a 60 degree turn, then seconds later, another 60 degree turn and seconds later, yet another 60 degree turn allowing it to continue to travel on its original course. I do not drink, have never taken drugs and was wide awake during this sighting. The sky was clear as crystal on this particular night with all the stars visible.'
SUFON Note, 2018: Michael provided us with a plan of the object's course. Each time it turned it made one side of a triangle, after the third turn it was back on course, having 'drawn' an equilateral triangle in the sky. For it to do that it would have had to make a turn of 120 degrees each time, not the 60 degrees referred to above.
BUFORA
Monday August 16th, 20:40
Llwyngwril, Merionethshire
Witness, Mr. James Earl, together with three other people, one of whom had binoculars, observed a strange object in the sky at an elevation of 5 degrees.
The object appeared as a black spot with a large cigar-shaped, flame-coloured plume behind it, which had sharply defined edges. Or alternately, it could have been a solid cigar-shaped object with a black tip. It moved slowly, and then suddenly sped forward across the twilight sky returning to a slow movement. It was joined by a similar object.
Sighting submitted to BUFORA V3/N5 by David Cooper. The editor commented in V3/N6 that it was "probably a cloud with sunset colours contributing to the effect. The sudden movement across the sky might be an auto-kinetic illusion." The UFO Register classified the sighting as C, possible UFO.
Australian UFO Bulletin (June 1972) published a short report of the case:
This was a sighting by a family of four on holiday in Wales. Shortly after sunset, they noticed a bright yellow-orange cigar-shaped light with a dark spot at one end. The spot was visible only through binoculars. The phenomenon moved very slowly across the sky, disappearing after about 20 minutes.
About 20 seconds later a similar phenomena appeared, about 10 degrees southwest of where the first disappeared. (If this was the first object reappearing, it must have increased its speed considerably to reach this point.) This was only in sight about another 20 seconds, then it faded out quickly.
The sky was remarkably clear, and judging by the distant coast, Lleyn Promontory, opposite, the witnesses estimated that the object was at least 30 miles away, which suggests that the UFOs were at least a mile long. The only possibility that suggests itself is a very unusual cloud formation, but as the edges of the light were crisp that length of time, and the spot remained throughout, this seems unlikely.
Gemini #1 (Jan-March 1972) also included a short report on this sighting:
PRESS
Tuesday August 17th, 20:45
Porthcawl
In a letter to the Chronicle Herald, Mr. D. H. Cooper described an object he and his family observed. He described it as egg-shaped in the centre of a small dark cloud. The object was stationary in the south-south-west at a high altitude, and it was very brilliant.
After watching it for about ten minutes it suddenly started to move and it climbed steadily- moving towards the north-east. It left behind it a wake -- a brilliant white and reddish glow.
The object itself was not egg-shaped but circular. After travelling for a while across the sky it suddenly disappeared. When it was first seen the cloud in which it was situated was small, and as it was a clear night this was the only cloud visible.
Mr. Cooper said that the object was certainly not Mars and to suggest so is "utter rubbish." He was so intent on watching the object and so fascinated by it that he completely forgot that he had a cine camera with him containing 45 feet of film.
Submitted to BUFORA V3/N7 by Geoffrey Coxon. V3/N8 commented: "It is difficult to account for an object which remained stationary for about ten minutes then moved off steadily. The wake, on the other hand, is consistent with a high flying aircraft and the reddish glow from the sun which had set about half an hour beforehand. More details required."
PRESS
August 25th, 21:00
Prestatyn
The Daily Post reported that three bright lights were seen turning from orange to blue, travelling roughly in a SE to NW direction. A witness described their shape as being 'of a boomerang effect'.
PRESS
September 7th, night
Colwyn Bay
The unidentified flying object reported to have been seen over parts of Britain on Tuesday night (Sept. 7th) was also noticed by a number of Llanfairfechan residents, among them Mr and Mrs E. C. Williams, and Mr J. C. Griffiths, a teacher at Llandudno.
"We saw an oval shaped white light rather like the beam of a car headlamp in foggy weather moving in a north westerly direction over the Irish Sea," aid Mr Williams. The light was partially obscured by haze, he added, and they watched it for between 20 and 30 minutes as it slowly moved away.
One explanation of the phenomena is that it might have been the reflection of light on a cloud, but Mr Williams disagrees. "It was an oval light and it never varied in shape," he insisted. Several schoolboys on the beach also saw it.
Published in the September 9th edition of the Weekly News. Cited in BUFORA V3/N5. In V3/N6 the editor ascribed the sighting to a government barium thermite experiment launched from South Uist that night via a petrel rocket.
BUFORA
September 8th, 21:30
Llanfairfechan
BUFORA
September 8th, 21:30
Llanfairfechan
Mr E. Jackson of Colwyn Bay, and his fiancée, both noticed in the sky to the north an oval white light. It was at an elevation of about 35 degrees above the north-western horizon and it appeared to be obscured by haze as it had the appearance of a bright bulb seen through frosted glass. The apparent diameter was that of the full moon. The object remained stationary for about ten minutes and then the witnesses discontinued their observations to make a 'phone call. Ten minutes later the light was still visible but it had traversed about 10 degrees and was lower in the sky, and about 25 degrees above the horizon. Its shape had altered a little and it appeared to be slightly flattened. The witnesses watched for a further few minutes but were unable to watch longer.
Mr E. Jackson submitted the sighting to V3/N5 of the BUFORA journal. V3/N6 commented the date was likely mistaken, so linking the sighting to the barium thermite cloud created on September 7th.
BUFORA
Sunday October 17th, 14:00
Carmarthen
From BUFORA V3/N6: Mr. Jack Rowe was startled to see a white, spherical object, many times larger than a beach ball, bouncing along the top of the embankment, on the sea front, against a fairly strong westerly wind. It glowed strongly.
PRESS
October 26th, 18:20
Twmbarlwm
"Mrs Ann Baldwin of Preston Ave, Newport, and Mrs Madge Jones were driving when they saw a cone-shaped object moving slowly, blunt end first, towards the mountains. It appeared as a red, vapoury form. There seemed to be flames coming from it. Official suggestions were: plane, satellite or possibly weather balloon. A cloud reflecting the sun's rays seems more likely - but the reports from the Banbury area on the same day should be borne in mind." [multiple witnesses saw a reddish orange object in the sky.]
The story featured in the South Wales Argus of October 27th and 30th 1971, and was condensed into the above blurb by Gemini #2 (April/June 1972).
1971
Llanaber
Mrs R. Griffith of Colwyn Bay had been walking on the beach at Llanaber, just north of Barmouth, when she and her companion saw 12 - 18 inch diameter footprints at the water's edge. They felt a little apprehensive but decided there was no animal on land or sea in that area that could make prints that size and so thought that someone had been playing around, even though the prints did look very convincing. Mrs Griffith came forward after six schoolgirls saw a creature on Barmouth Beach in 1975.
BUFORA
Sunday October 17th, 14:00
Carmarthen
From BUFORA V3/N6: Mr. Jack Rowe was startled to see a white, spherical object, many times larger than a beach ball, bouncing along the top of the embankment, on the sea front, against a fairly strong westerly wind. It glowed strongly.
PRESS
October 26th, 18:20
Twmbarlwm
"Mrs Ann Baldwin of Preston Ave, Newport, and Mrs Madge Jones were driving when they saw a cone-shaped object moving slowly, blunt end first, towards the mountains. It appeared as a red, vapoury form. There seemed to be flames coming from it. Official suggestions were: plane, satellite or possibly weather balloon. A cloud reflecting the sun's rays seems more likely - but the reports from the Banbury area on the same day should be borne in mind." [multiple witnesses saw a reddish orange object in the sky.]
The story featured in the South Wales Argus of October 27th and 30th 1971, and was condensed into the above blurb by Gemini #2 (April/June 1972).
1971
Llanaber
Mrs R. Griffith of Colwyn Bay had been walking on the beach at Llanaber, just north of Barmouth, when she and her companion saw 12 - 18 inch diameter footprints at the water's edge. They felt a little apprehensive but decided there was no animal on land or sea in that area that could make prints that size and so thought that someone had been playing around, even though the prints did look very convincing. Mrs Griffith came forward after six schoolgirls saw a creature on Barmouth Beach in 1975.
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